Assassin's Creed X Reader One-shots

Mermaid? WHAT?! (Edward x Reader AU)

I am still working on everyone's requests, but I have developed a real obsession with mermaids lately and decided to do something about it~!

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You stretch your arms and flip your tail as you notice a school of pilot fish following behind you. You smile and bank upward into a loop with a big acrobatic twirl of a finish. The feeling of the open sea pushing past you brings a delicious rush. You check your followers: the school tries to recreate your moves, but the individual fish all just end up bumping into each other. Silly scavengers.

You push into and through the cold water as fast as you can. The water drags against you, enveloping you, but you push against it harder still. You fully immerse yourself in the embrace of the wide expanse, closing your eyes, enjoying the silence of being so incredibly alone. You breathe heavily from a fresh ocean current. There is no feeling more exhilarating.

Yep, this is what being a mermaid was all about. Freedom. The ability to go wherever your heart desired whenever the mood would arise...okay, perhaps you were stretching the truth a little. Right now there were still rules that needed to be followed, boundaries that had been set. The downfall of being still a mere child. But you take what you can get, which just so happens to be an hour of unsupervised free time. Plenty of time to investigate the mysteries that reside above the surface.

With a mischievous glimmer in  (colour) orbs, you jet up and up and up, enjoying the warming sensation as the pressure changes. After a quick underwater scan, you break the ocean's surface. The dry, cold wind is a shock against your skin. You try not to look up. Air is just this…empty thinness between you and the vacuum. It always feels as though you could just fall out into the nothingness if you weren't careful. You startle as you notice one of those large wooden boxes slicing through the waves, heading straight for you! Squeaking in fear, you quickly duck back under, creating some much needed distance between you and...whatever that thing was.

Now would probably be a good time to turn back. Head home where it was safe. But...

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Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

The hollow sound of wood tapping monotonously against a wooden deck. The result of sheer boredom. Boredom of an eight year old boy left sitting cross-legged on a ship in the middle of nowhere, nothing but a makeshift wooden sword to entertain himself.

His Uncle stands tall at the helm, ignoring him completely.

How dull. He had always imagined long sea voyages were to be exciting. The sails snapping in the salt laced wind, the bustle of shipboard life, the free and open ocean spreading before him as far as the eye can see. He had anticipated adventure: maybe sea serpents, or pirates, or mermaids! At least, that's what all his storybooks had strongly implied.

But now...well, it turns out that he’s been lied to all these years. The crew don't much care for kids like him, so the time is spent avoiding them as much as possible in such a confined quarters. His guardian, Uncle Theo, has spent most of the trip thus far napping in a hammock on the aft deck, nose hairs blowing gently in the sea air. Now he's taken to doing his job, which seems to include being an absolute arsehole and ignoring the eight year old boy shuffling to the far end of the deck, letting both legs dangle off the side of the ship, staring at the endless horizon, wishing for something interesting to happen.

Wait—what's that toward the aft of the ship, sparkling down by the waterline?

That had to be a tail. It had to be. He grips the rails and leans forward over the water to get a closer look.

The sparkle comes again, just for a second, and then a flicker of motion. There's definitely something in the water. Something dappled green and gold, like sunlight through leaves. It slips out of sight again. Could it really be…? What's next?

He scrambles towards the aft of the ship, where he last saw that...whatever-it-was.

A head and shoulders erupt from beneath the water, green and gold.

Oh my...could it be? Yes! Yes, it is! A mermaid! She's only about his size—a child herself. She watches him, ethereal (colour) eyes wide with…

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Wonder. This creature...it’s one of those pink, fleshy beings your parents are always warning you of. What were they called again? Surface dwellers?

It's a little intimidating, facing a strange surface dweller alone, but you steel yourself. It will be fine.

You allow yourself a moment to inspect this strange creature before you. Its somewhat long hair continuously falls in front of cerulean tinted eyes despite its desperate attempts at brushing it back. Draped over its underdeveloped body are layers upon layers of different textured fabrics; you never understood why surface dwellers found it necessary to constrict themselves with such hideous garbs. What exactly were they wanting to hide?

Huh. Up close, these things aren’t as terrifying as your family made them out to be. A little uglier, perhaps, but squinting helped make them more appealing – kind of.

An acrimonious bellow from on board startles you, and you find yourself gliding backwards through the waves, your body instinctively creating a much safer distance.

This was a terrible idea. All merpeople were frightfully aware of the rumoured dangers which lurked above the surface; the most common being those of the dwellers. They were a ludicrous pack of drivelling savages monstrously combing the ocean and slaughtering all which dwells beneath the surface – or so you’ve heard. Some say they torture and maim the poor creatures unfortunate enough to have gotten caught, whilst others’ insist their bodies are hung on walls and proudly displayed as trophies.

Though there is no solid evidence which supports these claims, there have been quite a few...suspicious disappearances which are rather difficult to ignore when there are so many hushed warnings inspiring fear in you all.

This particular surface dweller must take notice of your fear because before you can even consider fleeing to safety, it holds out a hand and shouts...something. The gibberish spewing from his lips reminds you of the irritating squalling of the gulls. Judging by the ungainly flailing of both arms, you suspect that it wants you to stay.
Despite the gruesome images flashing vividly through your mind, you simply could not pass up such a rare opportunity. Besides, what’s the worst thing that could happen?

You remain where you are, (colour) orbs warily flickering over its face.

Again, the creatures’ lips move, faster this time, but still there is no hope of you ever understanding what it is that’s trying to be conveyed.

Perhaps it wished to play?

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“My name’s Edward,” he rushes out, now leaning precariously over the edge, “Edward Kenway.”

No response.

“Do you have a name?”

Silence.

His brow crinkles faintly, but he remains sanguine; there must be some way to communicate – he just had to find it.

Reaching into his pocket, he removes a small ball and holds it out so the mermaid could clearly see it – he just hoped she'd come to understand his intentions. “This is a ball.” He tosses it into the air and catches it effortlessly, gaining immense enjoyment upon seeing her eyes follow it. “Do you have these where you're from? They're lots of fun, especially when played with friends. Would you like to play?”

Her mouth opens and he leans forward in anticipation, but what comes out was not what he was expecting; for a moment he believed there to be whales in the vicinity, until eventually realising that the sound was coming from directly in front of him.

It was a beautiful sound – one he could listen to for hours – but every book had always suggested that mermaids understood and spoke the human language. Now he knew that he had been lied to. Again.

Suddenly, the noise stops and the mermaid smiles. Her teeth are very white, and very, very sharp. She dives. Her tail fins vanish with a splash beneath the boat.

Edward squeaks and wastes little time in scrambling to the other side of the deck, the mermaid reappearing just as his fingers come in contact with the railing. When she does, she grins. Her tail smacks the water hard, spraying him with droplets. She disappears under the boat again; he races to the other side, hoping to get there first. When she meets him there, she laughs and leaps in the water with delight.

The young Welsh lad plays hide-and-seek with the mermaid for a while, dashing from one end of the ship to another, giggling madly. She swims under the ship, and he attempts to guess where she'll emerge; then, he dashes across the deck and peers out from a new spot, waving when she finds him. It's the most fun he's had since leaving Swansea last week!

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Hide-and-seek was your most absolute favourite game to play and every merfolk knew that you were the champion. It was a more than lovely surprise to discover that these surface dwellers knew the game as well!

However...

You can't help but wonder how much more exciting this current hide-and-seek session could be were this gangly limbed surface dweller join you in the water. After all, there were plenty more places to conceal oneself, and it'd be nice to interact at a much closer proximity.

You beckon to him.

He seems...confused. At first. But then that confusion turns to reluctance, his eyes flickering to the scary, and rather furry looking individual holding onto a big circular shape not too far away.

You deflate.

He no longer wanted to play.

Wait – he’s changed his mind! He's decided to join you after all! You watch him, excitement brewing beneath your lashes as he fumbles over the railing.

This was going to be so much fun!

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Edward had always been a strong swimmer – well, at least, when it came to the lake near his house he was a strong swimmer. He had never actually swam in the ocean before. Still, he remained confident enough in his abilities that he dives head first into the tumbling waves, intent on playing with the mermaid child.

Unfortunately, no matter how good a swimmer he might be, there was no way this would have gone well for him. The waves are monstrous. There is nothing to grab hold to. Nothing to help pull himself above the thunderous waves. And the worst part? The ship was drifting further and further away with no possible chance of catching up.

He flounders in the direction of the ship as best he can, but the ocean sucks all the strength from his bones. His muscles tighten. A wave pushes him farther down, preventing him from pulling himself up for one more gasping breath.

The water closes over his head and forces itself into his tiny lungs. He finds himself sinking down. It grows darker. Soon, he loses sense of which way is up. He flails about in the water, but can't seem to make any headway. Whatever remaining air in his lungs grows stale and explosive.

He is drowning.

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You slither through the water to join the surface dwellers side, squirming with excitement that he's come to play. And to commemorate this newfound friendship, you yank the multi-coloured pearl necklace from around your neck and push it into his palm. His fingers snap shut around it.

Fantastic.

Now it was time to play!

Buzzing with energy, you charge through the water, throwing in a few unnecessary acrobatic twirls and flourishes with the hope of impressing this exotic creature. But there's something wrong. He wasn't following you like he should have been. Instead he's...well, he's not doing anything. He's simply allowing himself to sink.

How very peculiar.

Confusion draws your brows together and you circle the squishy child in hopes of figuring out what exactly the problem was. Why wasn't he swimming and playing? He appeared eager when he first jumped in, so what changed?

“Hey...are you okay?”

It was foolish to even try and converse – the language barrier was incredibly frustrating. His wide eyes twitch uncontrollably before fluttering closed, a few bubbles escaping his mouth. You inch closer, towards his mouth, listening.

Oh no.

He wasn't breathing!

Panic courses through your veins and you grip his arms tightly, dragging him back to the surface.

You just hoped you weren't too late.

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Edward awakens on board the ship once more, gasping and coughing – the air is blessedly dry in his throat. He lies there, sprawled across the deck, panting and trying to piece together where he was and whether or not he was even alive.

His Uncle looms above him, the whiskers from his chin tickling his forehead. “Jayus, lad. You tryin' to give me a bleedin' ‘eartattack?! You're damn lucky one of my crew spotted you before we left your arse behind! What the ‘ell were you even doin’?”

“It was...a mermaid...”

Despite knowing that his Uncle would never believe him, he couldn't keep the truth contained – in his defence, his mind was still struggling to catch up to the present moment.

He snorts disparagingly. “A mermaid? You need to get your ‘ead outta all those silly books and into the real world.”

There really was no point in arguing – but again, he couldn't help himself. “It's the truth! It was a real-life mermaid!” His protest strains his lungs, and he devolves into a painful bout of coughing.

“An old acquaintance of mine claimed to ‘ave seen a mermaid once. Bleedin' lunatic, he was. Spends all ‘is time in taverns spouting off nonsense about make believe creatures and what not, earning ‘imself an awful reputation. Unless you want that to ‘appen to you, I'd keep this to your bleedin' self.”

He slaps Edward on the back, spurring a fresh round of coughing, before standing tall. “Get below deck and get some rest. Maybe you'll dream up more mermaid nonsense.” He cackles at his own joke as he moves back to the helm.

Edward can't help but scoff. He didn't need anyone to believe him anyway; he knew that mermaids were real, and that's all that mattered.

He slowly struggles to his feet and looks back out over the ocean. There's no sign of the mermaid. Not now; but one day, he thinks, he'll have a ship of his own, and then he'll be back.